CORONAVIRUS

State Health Officials Submit Plans For COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

Oct 16, 2020, 5:16 PM | Updated: Dec 19, 2022, 10:38 pm

FILE (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)...

FILE (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health has submitted their plans for a statewide COVID-19 vaccine campaign to the Centers for Disease Control.

The submission deadline was Friday.

The immunization director for the Utah Department of Health said our state will be ready to distribute when a vaccine is ready.

“This is going to be the largest vaccination campaign that we have ever done, ” said Rich Lakin, state immunization director. “We’re trying to do it in an efficient manner, yet trying to do it as quickly as possible, which makes it difficult.”

The Utah COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is a 46-page document that details how Utahns will get immunized when a vaccine is approved.

Lakin said availability of the vaccine will dictate the pace of the rollout.

The CDC told states to get ready to vaccinate by Nov. 1, and Utah will be ready.

The greatest complication, Lakin said, is not knowing anything about the vaccine itself because none has been approved.

“We’re doing everything that we need to plan, yet we only have a little bit of information about the vaccine itself,” he said.

Lakin was told by his CDC colleagues Thursday that the first doses could arrive anytime between mid-November and January.

Initially, doses will be limited. A group of physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers have been working over the last month to come up with a plan for prioritizing the vaccine.

The four major hospitals on the Wasatch Front with the greatest number of healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients will get the vaccine first to vaccinate healthcare workers, and other priority groups. Those hospitals are the University of Utah Hospital and LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.

“The key thing that people need to remember is that the vaccine is going to drive the response,” Lakin said. “If we have limited vaccine, we have limited vaccine in who we can give that response to. If we start to get a moderate amount of vaccine, we can broaden that vaccine distribution.”

His best guess for when that broader distribution might happen?

“Probably around summertime when the public can start receiving the vaccine,” the immunization director said.

Where will Utahns get it?

“The public will have an option to either go to a private physician if they have the vaccine, or they can go to the pharmacy,” said Lakin. “They can also go to their local health department.”

The state has been working closely with the 13 public health districts within Utah to come up with their plans.

Lakin said everybody involved in the distribution of a vaccine will have to be strategic and patient to ensure that limited supplies are not wasted.

“We’re confident that this will go as smoothly as possible, but I think we all need to understand there will be bumps in the road,” he said.

For those who think the vaccine has been rushed or that it cannot be trusted, the immunization director said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC will have to approve the vaccine before it goes out.

 “That’s the gold standard,” said Lakin. “That meets the standard that the vaccine is safe, and it is time to put the vaccine out.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Coronavirus

FILE: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (left) and Moderna COVID-19 (right) vaccines are seen at a vaccinati...

Zeke Miller, AP White House Correspondent

US to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates next week

The Biden administration will end the last remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week when the national public health emergency for the coronavirus ends.

11 months ago

A general view of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta...

Brenda Goodman, CNN

CDC set to stop tracking community levels for Covid-19

As the nation's public health emergency expires on May 11, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop reporting its color-coded Covid-19 Community Levels as a way to track the spread of the infection.

11 months ago

Pharmacist Patricia Pernal administers the newest COVID-19 vaccine during a clinic for seniors at t...

Tami Luhby

New White House plan aims to provide uninsured with free COVID-19 vaccines

The Biden administration unveiled Tuesday a $1.1 billion program aimed at providing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to the uninsured at no cost after the federal supply is exhausted.

12 months ago

Shen Hongbing, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks at a p...

Joe McDonald

China health officials lash out at WHO, defend virus search

Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

12 months ago

Intermountain Medical Center (KSL TV)...

Emily Ashcraft

Pandemic led to increase in rate and severity of depression, Intermountain study says

The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on mental health, specifically depression, an Intermountain Health study using research from thousands Utah patients found.

1 year ago

FILE PHOTO (KSL-TV)...

Emily Ashcraft

Masks no longer required at Intermountain Health facilities, 3 years after pandemic started

Intermountain Health announced wearing masks will become optional for visitors and patients beginning March 15, following an anticipated decline in respiratory illnesses.

1 year ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

State Health Officials Submit Plans For COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout